Fanclub Ben Skywalker Fan Thread!

Shevu, OMG I loved him and his friendship with Ben. I hated how we died because he died so quickly in Invincible. I have a feeling if he was alive he wouldn't be in FOTJ though...

 

No, he wouldn't have been in FOTJ, because he'd have been with his wife and, considering that two whole years passed, it's possible he'd have had a child.

I have to say, the only time I haven't liked Ben is during the Dark Nest trilogy, when Denning wrote him as so stinking whiny that I almost couldn't stand it. But LOTF totally redeemed him, and FOTJ made him my favorite character post-ROTJ. Period.

 

Ben was pretty whiney in DNT but his story had potential. A Skywalker doing things Han's way.
I think Shevu would have had a cameo in FOTJ. Maybe Ben needed to sneak in somewhere and called in Shevu for help.

 

Yes, his story had potential even then. But the way Denning wrote him, I wanted to pull my hair out every time he whined that Mara was going to hurt his "friend."

"Don't hurt her, Mom!"

When he says that, all I can picture is Ritchie from The Dick Van Dyke Show. That kid...oh, goodness I wanted to punch something when he ran in the door screaming "Mommy, mommy!"

 

Well Ben was just a little kid back then. Allana was somewhat like that to in FOTJ, but I still managed to love her <3.

 

That part of Ben was indeed annoying Revanfan1. Put me off of him for a while.

 

I never saw Allana like that in FOTJ, honestly. She always seemed strong and independent like her mother and grandmother, never whining about anything.

 

In all fairness, Ben was traumatized for the first years of his life by Abeloth and he's been sheltered by his parents so nothing harms him. He doesn't have the background Allana does...so he's not going to act in any other way than his formative years have dictated

 

Not to mention his mind was manipulated by the Gorog

 

^That is true, and something I honestly couldn't have taken into account when I first read the Dark Nest trilogy. But I think you're right, the trauma is probably why he acts like he does in childhood. Jacen may have ended up a jerk and a moron, but saving Ben from his Force fear is definitely his greatest achievement (okay, so yeah, he killed Onimi). If not, Ben would have ended up way worse, and might not have had the courage to go with dear old Dad on his ten-year journey. If that had happened Luke would likely have been killed by Lady Rhea and Vestara. And then Abeloth would've won. So in a way, Jacen saved the galaxy from Abeloth!

Anyway...Ben rocks.

 

What I don't get is how he came to resent his father.

 

That I don't know. So glad he got over that and their relationship was so great in FOTJ.

 

I mean, true he was probably very intimidated by who his father was, but I don't get the resentment/near hatred. He adored Luke in DNT, then somewhere along the way, he was resenting Luke

 

I did find it humorous when Ben promised he wouldn't tell his mother Luke swore in front of him by promising him more meat paste. Luke was probably like, I'm being blackmailed by an 8 year old.

 

The thing about that is...I can't get past "meat paste." It was very funny that Ben blackmailed him, but meat paste just sounds...gross.

 

I guess its like that potted meat you find in the grocery store.

 

I just can't get the image out of my head of something in a tube like you put cake frosting in, and it's brown and sparkly. I don't even dare imagine the taste.

 

I also think that's the very first time you see Luke swear. At least I don't remember him doing it before hand so I was like WOA

 

No, I don't ever remember Luke cursing, at least not in NJO (he might have in earlier books in the Bantam era, but those books were riddled with real-life language, and I try to ignore that in Star Wars books), and I was amused in FOTJ when Ben said "kriffing" something or another and Luke said "Language." Like it's inappropriate for Ben to do but fine for Luke (although aside from the incident in DNT, even later in LOTF and FOTJ, I don't remember Luke cursing often).

 

Of course, Luke is the parent *grins* Notice though Luke never curbs Ben's swearing after that--and it wasn't much

 

In fact, the person most concerned with the other..though granted Luke is concerned for Ben, but knows he is a Jedi Knight and can take care of himself. Ben is the one who is over protective of his father.

 

Yeah, I love the part in Conviction where Ben glares at the guy like "if you hurt my father I waste you." Sometimes an overprotective parent makes a rocking story. Sometimes it's an overprotective kid who is totally epic.

 

Well, i think Ben is dealing with having only one parent. He's extra protective of Luke because he only has his father now and doesn't want to lose him too.

 

Yeah, I think that's the explanation given in Conviction, and it totally makes sense. I mean, I can imagine I'd feel very similar if I lost a parent. Anyone crossed the other one, and they'd regret it (to the best of my ability). A big reason why I like Ben so much is because I'm his age, so I can connect and sympathize with him a lot, and I think this is one of those points. I still have both my parents, but I think Ben's eventual overprotection of Luke is much how I'd be.

 

Truth be told that's probably gonna last the rest of Luke's life. Poor man lol